New Monaco boss Henry snubbed 'attractive offers'

The iconic Frenchman had been linked with roles at Aston Villa and Egypt, but the lure of his former club in Ligue 1 proved too strong to resist

Thierry Henry has revealed that he turned down “some very attractive offers” before signing a three-year deal as Monaco coach. The 41-year-old was announced as the Ligue 1 side’s new boss on Saturday, following the dismissal of Leonardo Jardim two days earlier. Henry had been linked with Aston Villa before Dean Smith’s appointment on Wednesday, as well as the Egypt national team. Posting on Twitter, Henry said the lure of returning to the club where he made his professional debut in 1994 was too great to resist. “It is with great pride that I have accepted the position of manager of Monaco,” he said. “I was fortunate to receive some very attractive offers over the last few months but Monaco will always be close to my heart. “Having started my footballing career with this great club, it seems like fate that I will now begin my managerial career here too. “I’m incredibly excited to be given this opportunity but now the hard work must begin. Can’t wait.” His first game in charge for Monaco is a visit to Strasbourg on Saturday in Ligue 1 before a meeting with Club Brugge in the Champions League four days later. Henry is making his first foray into the world of management, having cut his coaching teeth as an assistant to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national side. He is excited by the challenges which lie ahead and is grateful to Monaco for giving him a chance. “In the first place, I thank AS Monaco for giving me the opportunity to coach the team of this club which is so special to me,” Henry said upon his appointment. “I am very happy to come back to AS Monaco and extremely determined to meet the challenges ahead. I cannot wait to meet the players to start working together.”